Combat by Moonlight
by SwordSkill
Summary: Two girls stand on the roof, embraced by the light of the moon, as one mulls over the paradox of the other and their relationship. (Btw, I think this is the first poetry entry for this section ^^)


**Combat by Moonlight**

  
You look different under the moonlight.  
  
Even more unfathomable, if it is possible  
You stand under that cold, pale light,  
Your eyes covered by the darkness,  
And all I see are the sharp countours of your face  
Where the peaked moonlight rests  
On the high arc of your nose  
And your prominent cheekbones.  
But nothing more.  
Tonight, you are a mixture  
Of white and black,  
Of light and shadow;  
The moon and the night  
Serenely draped around your shoulders -  
Two oppositions,  
Two cloaks you wear,  
Two identities you assume:  
Innocence and Danger,  
Life and Death,  
Blanc et Noir.  
  
You are the paradox,  
Unfathomable as ever.  
  
But tonight we stand here on the rooftop,  
With five feet of glazed shingles between us  
And more behind us,  
Our muscles tight, breath steady;  
Adrenaline, like a furious dragon,  
Rushing from head to fingers -  
The source of our power,  
Controlled only by the sheer strength of our will:  
My will which is strong;  
Your will which is stronger.  
  
I strike.  
Somehow I see in your face,  
As the black sky streaks behind me,  
That you are not surprised.  
  
I do not even see the sidestep you make  
To avoid my blow with unconscious complacency.  
I catch my breath and turn around  
And neither am I surprised.  
You face me without a sound,  
The moonlight and the darkness shifting sides.  
I feel my pulse on my cheeks  
And my clenched hands tremble from the expectation  
Of the coming exchange of blows.  
Yet your fists are not even raised.  
  
I do not even ask why.  
  
I smile faintly  
And I drop my fists.  
In comparison to you  
I am nothing.  
You surpass me   
As the gods surpass the mortals.  
Every skill I have mastered,  
You have mastered twice.  
Every prowess I have achieved,  
You have achieved tenfold.  
And so as we stand here  
Ready, two lionesses  
Tensed for the fight,  
The question that must be asked  
Is not why I bother  
To pit claws against you  
  
But why you bother  
To pit claws against me.  
  
But I only ask myself this question,  
For you are the everlasting paradox,  
Ever changing,  
Ever constant in changing,  
So much so that you will not understand  
Why I would even ask this question,  
For I know you have enough trouble  
Understanding yourself,  
Understanding your own irony.  
  
You still stand there, unmoving,  
Waiting for me to strike again,  
Willing me to raise my fists against you.  
  
I space out my legs  
And I do.  
You notice this, and you tilt your head,  
And the moonlight slides across your face,  
Overcoming the dark side,  
And suddenly I see your eyes:  
Deep as the void,  
Boundless as eternity,  
But they smile at me.  
People say that the eyes are the mirror of the soul,  
But they never said whose soul was being mirrored,  
For as I stare at yours, I do not see your soul,  
But instead I see my own image  
Reflected in your eyes.  
And I know  
That as you look at mine  
You see your own.  
  
I smile back  
Because I understand.  
  
I lunge at you,  
And at the last moment  
You spring into action,  
Parrying my coming blow  
And giving me your own  
In an effortless dance,  
Light and evanescent,  
Until you have finished your volley.  
You flip into the air  
And land quietly behind me.  
I am panting, blood rushing into my face,  
Pain oozing out from the every portion of my body  
That you had tapped with your fist.  
But you wait for me to catch my breath,  
Patient as an ancient rock.  
I steady myself and raise my fists again;  
For the third time this night, I leap into the air,  
My fists reaching for you,  
And I am smiling  
  
Because I understand  
That you need me  
As I need you.  
  
You who have the matchless power  
Of skill and speed  
Incomparable to any human being;  
In this life of ours  
Where we stand back-to-back,  
Guns held high in defiance and silence,  
One at the east, one at the west;  
In this paradoxical life of ours  
Of finding the light amidst the darkness,  
It is you who give me strength  
  
And it is I   
Who give you meaning.  
  
Tonight, you stand there at the edge of the roof shingles,  
Silent, unscathed,  
Victorious once more in one of our nocturnal combats,  
While I sit in front of you, heaving,  
My hand raised in resignation,  
My body exhausted, my throat gasping for breath,  
My legs and arms weary and heavy like lead.  
But I am laughing, laughing  
In short, ragged breaths,  
But laughing sweetly nonetheless,  
For I now understand  
The impossibility of you fighting me  
If I wasn't there.  
  
You look surprised.  
The moonlight and the dark passes over your face in cycles  
As you watch me in my inexplicable laughter.  
And as you look at me with quiet concern,  
I can only hope   
That as you stare into my laughing eyes,  
Under the cold, pale light of the moon,  
You will see your own reflection  
And understand the meaning  
Of friendship.  



End file.
